


Fade In

by ZeSandvich



Category: Yume Nikki | Dream Diary
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-03
Updated: 2014-06-05
Packaged: 2018-02-03 07:59:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1737227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZeSandvich/pseuds/ZeSandvich
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Existing in a strange world known only as a dream, Mafurako is a girl who watches in the distance of the interesting architecture.  She serves as a rarely-needed gatekeeper, knows very few by face, and travels between no zone except for the desert and her own.  A human girl clad in a red sweatshirt visits her for the first time and offers her hand in friendship, something that Mafurako had never had before.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A New Friend

The all-too-familiar blocky environment expanded outwards from where Mafurako sat, simply waiting for passersby. Rarely, some being passes by, and even rarer still requires her services. She spent her time observing the landscape, watching for any changes in the landscape. A couple of distant movements popped up, shrouded by the mass of light purple or blue rectangles and squares. A group of higher pitched voices piped up, sounding as if it were a fusion between human and bird. They were distant, however, so any gossip were unable to reach her ears. Mafurako wanted no attention paid to her aside from when necessary and she kept herself invisible through means only she knows how, aside from a perfectly visible winter hat and scarf.

Another traveler passed Mafurako’s vision, causing her to set her focus to the being. A familiar human girl, but only in appearance. She knew not of her name or her actions aside from wayward wandering. She had fair skin, brown hair which had two braids protruding from the back. She was clad in a reddish-pink sweatshirt, a brown skirt, and notably red shoes. Occasionally she held an umbrella, or rode a bike... The girl was able to change forms, though Mafurako knew not how. She was a strange one, being able to turn from a perfect human into, say, one with a frog’s head, a demon, or a snow angel.

A bit of imagining led her to forget about what was going on around her. Mafurako had just noticed that the girl was walking towards her, about ten feet away from her, moving at a casual pace. She stood up, not moving too quickly, in order to greet the girl. Her sweatshirt had a small black-and-white checker patter on the breast, and her eyes were closed as if sleeping. The young girl stopped in front of Mafurako and bowed her head.  
“Hello,” the girl simply said upon raising her head. Her voice was fairly calm, but yet curious.

Mafurako bowed her head to show acknowledgement, her hat and scarf being the only visible thing. “Hello”, she replied. A period of silence went between the two.

The girl piped up. “I found these somewhere around here. Are these yours?” Mafurako stared questioningly while the shut-eyed girl appeared to summon a hat an scarf, very much like Mafurako’s. Curiosity once piqued, as this was exactly like her own clothing despite her owning only one pair.

“No, they are not. A coincidence, I suppose.” She had no explanation, though it was something she would want to find out later.

“I see…” replied the girl. “But, who are you? And why are you invisible?” She tilted her head to the right.

“I’m invisible, yes, since I don’t want much attention towards me. As for the name, it is Mafurako. Yours?”

“Oh, my name is Madotsuki.” A sweet name, Mafurako thought. Madotsuki put out her hand, inviting for a handshake. “You have hands, right?”

Mafurako looked at the girl strangely as if it were obvious. “I’m invisible, not a floating hat and scarf. We went over that.” Mafurako extended her hand as well, grasping Madotsuki and shaking.

Madotsuki slowed her pace and gazed at a gate looming behind Mafurako, seemingly going to nowhere. “Does that go anywhere?” she asked, pointing to the gate with her free hand.

Mafurako pulled away from the handshake and turned her head to the gate. “Yes, it does. To a desert devoid of color. You’ll find a couple of humanlike people there, as well as some other beings.”

Madotsuki skipped over to the bluewhite blocky gate, her eyes still shut yet still seeing. “How well do you know them?”

“Not really.”

“Oh…” Madotsuki stood in place, looking at the floor for a second. Then, she smiled and walked over towards Mafurako. “Do you have many friends?”

“Friends? No, I am simply here, serving as a gatekeeper with few passersby.”

Madotsuki smiled brighter. “Then I’ll be your friend, okay? And we’ll meet up with other people I know! They’re probably humans ‘cause they look just like me!”

A friendship was something Mafurako never knew. She did know of the idea, though. The birdpeople were a massive group of friends and often enjoyed being around each other. However, Mafurako was one for learning new things in such a boring landscape. “Sure. Is this how you make friends? Just asking?”

“Oh, not just that!” The young girl jumped back, putting her finger to her cheek, tilting her head, and stuck her tongue out slightly. She was certainly an eccentric personality. “Well, circumstances, really. You gotta like the person, and usually you two just sorta create a friendship, no asking needed.” She averted her… gaze, or whatever one could call it, back to Mafurako, bringing her hands down and fumbling around for the other’s hands. Mafurako slinked back and put her hands back into Madotsuki’s. “But in YOUR case, you didn’t have any friends! I felt you needed some!”

“Oh. Well, thank you for asking." Mafurako dropped her hands. "If we're friends, we should do something. Anything we should do?" She was unsure of what Madotsuki had in mind, as she was quite an unpredictable girl.

"I... I don't know yet!" Madotsuki laughed to herself. "I'm sorry, I wasn't really planning on it. Uh, you can tag along through the desert if you want!"

"Did you plan on going to any other zones?" Mafurako never traveled to any other zones; she felt as though she was needed here. She only heard of through stories of lands where there was deep water and piers, or bright streaking colors, or one of the most infamous area, a large blood red maze.

Madotsuki turned around and looked back at the blocky gate. "Probably. I mean, I've been to a bit of the White Desert before, but never through this entrance."

"I'm not entirely sure." If not for her invisibility, her crossed arms would be a telltale sign of anxiety. She knew not the appearance of other zones, or their danger. If she were to be honest, though, she was fairly curious about the other places. She felt obligated to stay and explain what the purpose of the gate was, though few ever came by.

"What's the problem? You expecting anyone?" Madotsuki turned her attention back to Mafurako.

"Somewhat. I don't see many beings, though they do come by."

"Then what's the problem?" Madotsuki wrapped her arm around Mafurako, making sure not to accidentally hit her. The touching wasn't something she was fond of, but the girl obviously meant no harm. "Nobody's comin'!"

"I feel apprehensive about exploring. I've only been here and the desert."

"Well you ain't going alone! You've got me with you! I'll make sure you're safe!" Madotsuki felt around for her arm, and upon finding it, grabbed it and headed off to the gate. "You gonna do something about your invisibility, though?"

She understood that Madotsuki would not take 'no' for an answer. While being dragged, she sighed, "Very well, we'll go. And no, I'm not doing that. I want attention to stay off of me."

Madotsuki pouted while pulling her. "Fine, be that way. I dunno 'bout anyone talking to us anyway. Just don't blame me when I start tripping on you."

Madotsuki brought Mafurako through the gate, its blue-white surface looming over her. The land before her morphed from the blackness riddled with lightly colored blocks to a piercing white sandy zone with black skies.


	2. Monochrome

Madotsuki scanned around the landscape, trying to figure out SOMETHING fun to do. There didn't appear much, though. Mafurako could spot a cliff in the distance, what appeared to be some houses... And that one awkward circular path that lead into two empty boxy shacks. The blackness of the sky spread over the expanse of the entire zone, scarcely dotted with hot air balloons miles away. After around ten seconds of silence, Madotsuki exhaled an exasperated sigh. “This was such a dumb idea; there’s nothing around here to do!” The eccentric girl flopped down onto her rear, pulling her knees close to her chest, and began twirling her braids around her right hand.

Mafurako scuttled over to Madotsuki’s location, glaring down at her. If she were to invite anyone to travel with them, she should at least have an idea on activities.. “I may introduce you to the people that live here. Do you know any of the others?”

Madotsuki turned her head towards the floating hat and scarf above her. She gave a small grin and explained, “I know of the… nosey guy! He’s strange looking!”

Mafurako gave Madotsuki a slight nudge with her foot, to which her reaction was to scoot over and turn her whole body towards Mafurako. While, yes, this ‘nosey guy’ had a ridiculously large head attached to a tiny body, eyes on the sides of his head, and a nose that began from the top of his head to below his eyes, it was still impolite to call anyone as such. “Don’t be rude. His name is Dave Spector.” Madotsuki, seemingly lost in thought, had her head pointed directly at the floating winter cap. She still sat in a curled-up position, her eyebrows furrowed, eyes still unopening yet able to see, and her left arm was lightly draped around her mouth and placed upon her knees. “You’re not listening, Madotsuki,” scolded the invisible girl in order to bring her attention back to the topic.

“Uh-yeah,” Madotsuki caught herself, trying to act as though she was listening. “Dave. Spector. Yeah, I gotcha.” Madotsuki stood up quickly and dusted off her rump. “So, you mentioned two humanlike people here? Where’re they at?” Madotsuki took another scan around.

“I can’t say for certain, though it won’t be hard to find them. Let’s start this way,” Mafurako said, picking up her scarf and using the hanging fabric to point in the direction of the shacks. Honestly it wouldn’t be hard to locate anything as most zones were small, and walking in one direction often led you to where you started. It could be disorienting, but with how small each zone is one could recover quickly.

Madotsuki whipped around in front of Mafurako’s pointed direction and said with an excited tone, “Alright, let’s go meet ‘em!” Mafurako, sighing, dragged herself forward and began walking alongside Madotsuki. She seemed very… happy and outgoing, she supposed, despite having just met. “So, could’ja tell me about ‘em? Oh, no names, either! I’ll figure that out!”

Mafurako, a bit confused, responded, “No names… Well, they’re both a bit taller than you… They wear white shirts, one wears a checkered skirt and the other a plain black skirt.” Madotsuki almost tripped upon a larger white rock that blended in with the entirety of the desert. “The one with the checkered skirt has her black hair styled into twintails,” continued Mafurako, ignoring the incident, “both reaching down to her shoulders. The other, she has long black hair reaching the middle of her back. The longer-haired one seems content at all times, never stopping her smile. The other one appears constantly nervous as if something has traumatized her, though she keeps her head up high.” Mafurako turned her head towards Madotsuki, who walked quite plainly. Her movements were fluid, a bit slow, a stark contrast to her usual eccentric personality when talking. She smiled, but just slightly.

“They seem friendly, yes?” Madotsuki placed her arms in front of her chest. “How do their faces look?”

“Yes, they’re polite. And their faces aren’t anything special- they’re very similar to yours.”

“Ah, that’s good. They sound like girls I’d want to talk to.” They continued walking, though the conversations died down. The shacks were fairly close now, about another ten seconds of walking before reaching them. “Mafurako, wait,” Madotsuki called out. Mafurako stopped in her tracks, curious to know what the girl had wanted.

“Yes?” she asked, turning around on her heels, developing a tiny crater in the sand. “Is there something the matter?”

“Not really. Well, I kinda wanna know something.” Madotsuki stepped up closer to Mafurako, to the point where they stood a small distance apart from each other. Madotsuki held her gaze between the hat and scarf, tightening her already closed eyes, trying to see the being between. “Are you a human?”

A strange question for her to ask. Although, with what exists around here, it could be a viable question. “I can’t say for certain, but I do appear much like you.”

“Oh, really? What do you look like?” Madotsuki gave a big grin, looking up and down the estimated height of Mafurako’s invisible body.

“I’d rather not say. I do not want much attention paid to me.” Mafurako turned back around, bringing her gaze back to the shacks. “Let’s check for the girls in there.”

“Oh, whatever,” pouted the chestnut-haired girl. She skipped ahead, obviously wanting to meet the two very quickly. Mafurako picked up her pace to follow Madotsuki, headed in the direction of the shacks. She could see through the doorway, pitch blackness loomed beneath the colorless exterior of the walls which almost blended in with the floor. Within seconds, Madotsuki leapt through the opening. She landed with clamped legs and a slight wobble while Mafurako entered, the white sandy floors turning into a pitch black floor. The inside of the shack seemed to extend for miles. Blackness existed everywhere, yet somehow darkness did not envelop the two girls. Directly ahead, Mafurako was able to spot two white torsos tossing about a stick. The blacks of their hair and their clothing were able to be faintly discerned. They were talking loudly about having noticed a new colorful girl travel through the white desert recently.

Madotsuki raised her right arm and called out, “Yo!” The girl with the twin tails whipped around quickly to see who called out, and began backing off. The straight-haired girl stopped her, however, by grabbing her forearm then whispered something in her ear. The former loosened her shoulders and lightly nodded her head.

“Ah, hello!” the twin-tailed girl returned the call. She still seemed a bit uneasy, but upon sighting Mafurako’s familiar brown cap and scarf she eased a bit.

“We were just talking about you!” elaborated the other. The both of them began walking forward “We haven’t met. My name is--”

Madotsuki bound forward, interrupting her. “Nono, I know your names!” She stopped in front of them both, wobbling once again. The two reeled back, shock in their eyes, though the twin-tailed girl shuffled behind her other, less timid acquaintance. Madotsuki pointed directly at the one in front. “You’re Monoe, and-” she moved her hand to point to the other. “You’re Monoko! You’re sisters!”

That was very strange. Mafurako remembered vividly that she did NOT tell Madotsuki their names. Perhaps someone else talked about them to her before? She did mention having friends. Mafurako’s curiosity held as she thought about how Madotsuki knew them without physically meeting them. Madotsuki conversed with Monoe and Monoko, though their sentences were muffled by her thoughts.

“Yo, Mafu!” Madotsuki brought Mafurako’s attention back to the topic at hand. “You’re awfully quiet there! Whatchu’ thinking about?” Madotsuki crossed her arms and smiled at the floating winter cap.

Mafurako gathered herself fairly quickly. “Oh, nothing. It is certainly good to see you two again.” She felt a bit at ease with seeing the two monochrome girls again, however her ambitions led her to wish to depart soon.

“Of course,” replied Monoe. She held a pleased smile in Mafurako’s direction.

“So,” Monoko interjected, pressing the tips of her index fingers together, “Do you have any other business with us?” Monoko appeared that she did not wish to stick around, either.

Madotsuki took but a moment to think about it. “Not entirely… Though, I’m travelling around with Mafurako to see new things!” Madotsuki smiled and held out her hand. “Wanna come?”

Monoe looked a bit nervously towards her sister, who shared the expression. “We’d rather not.” She moved her eyes back to Madotsuki. Monoko’s eyes flickered between the two colorful girls. “We’ll stay here, preferably.”

“Oh, really?” Madotsuki thrust herself forward, grabbing Monoe’s right hand and lifting it up. “Are you sure you don’t wanna come? We could talk about a lot of other things!”

Monoe reeled her hand back with a hint of frustration. “No, that is quite fine. Anyway, we really need to go.” She whipped around and began walking away from the group. “Come on, Monoko,” she had instructed.

“I’m coming!” Monoko hopped backwards, bowing her head. “Goodbye! Thanks for visiting!” She turned around to catch up to her sister when they faded off into the blackness.

Madotsuki stood dumbfounded at the impulsiveness Monoe had just portrayed. “So rude,” she murmured, kicking the pitch black floor beneath her. “I only just met them again and they just up and left!” Madotsuki brought her arm up and wrapped it around Mafurako’s scarf. “C’mon, let’s--”

Mafurako stopped her mid-sentence. “Hey, you said ‘met them again’?” Madotsuki’s eyebrows raised a bit, as if she realized that she let something slip by without noticing it. “You’ve met them before?”

Madotsuki tightened her lips and turned her head ever so slightly away from Mafurako in thought. In a couple of seconds, she turned her head back. “I’ll tell you about that stuff later. For now, though, I wanna get to know you a bit better.”

The invisible girl sighed, shrugging off Madotsuki’s arm. “You’re a strange girl, you know?”

Madotsuki giggled. “Hey, ru-ude!” Madotsuki headed in the direction of the doorway which led back outside of the shack. “Anyway, I heard there was a train comin’ along sometime! Let’s see if we could catch it!”

Before Mafurako could get a word in, Madotsuki bounded through the door, arms swinging from side to side. Madotsuki was unable to read the girl; she was such a friendly person to people she did not know. Although, the strangest thing was that she seemed to know who Monoe and Monoko were and acted like they met, despite the monochrome girls not meeting her. Who exactly was she? Someone special, that’s for sure. Mafurako ran off in a sprint after Madotsuki, anxious to know more about her.


End file.
